Today — or just-about-yesterday, as it were — is the Summer Solstice here in the Northern Hemisphere, and with that it was the longest day of the year, as well as the day that formally marks the first day of summer.

And — as been true for almost a decade (as far as I can remember!) — we were treated to bright sunshine from a deep blue sky. Summer is here!

Our sage is blooming!

Meanwhile — not related — today was also Father's Day, here in the USA.

So Happy Father's Day to all the Steemian dads out there!

Thinking back, we never really celebrated Father's Day when I still lived in Denmark... in fact, I don't remember any of all these so-called "Hallmark Holidays" being something anyone actually observed.

That said, "Midsummer" was somewhat of a big deal for a lot of people, although that is actually celebrated on June 23rd, typically with family gatherings that also includes a huge bonfire and fireworks when it finally gets close-to-dark around 11:00pm at night.

Midsummer bonfire on the beach in Denmark (taken by me, summer 2011)

One of the things I love about this particular tradition is that the late night air smells faintly of woodsmoke, and you can stand on the beach and see dozens of community bonfires being lit.

Of course, this is happening during the seasons of long summer nights and the picture above was taken around 11:30 pm... and that's about as dark as it ever gets on a clear day, during the summer!

Of course, we are not in Denmark, so we just had a very quiet celebration of the longest day of the year in our back yard. Mrs. Denmarkguy led a peaceful "ritual" of letting go of things that no longer serve us, and welcoming in things to take their place. This was something she was doing in conjunction with her "White Light Express" ministry and non-profit organization.

Anyway, it's getting a bit on the late side, so I think I'll end this here by wishing everyone a happy Solstice!

And if you're in the Southern hemisphere, good news: your days will start getting longer now!

Thanks for reading, and have a great week ahead!

How about YOU? Did you have any kind of Solstice/Midummer celebration today? How about a Father's Day celebration? Leave a comment — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!

(All text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is ORIGINAL CONTENT, created expressly for this platform — NOT A CROSSPOST!!!)
Created at 20210621 00:48 PDT
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